Electric railway



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

N. SEIBERT.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY. No. 446,475. Patented Feb. 17, 1891.

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N. SEIBERT.

ELEGTRIG RAILWAY.

No. 446,475. l Patented Feb. 17,1891.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

N. SBIBERT.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

N0. 446,475. Patented Feb. 17,1891.

niTnp STaTns lFaTnNT Trice@ NICHOLAS SEIBERT, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,475, dated February 17, 1891. Application tiled May 5, 1890. Serial No. 350,643. (No model.)

,To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS Sumner, al citizen of the United States, residing at Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways, of which the following is a full and clear de scription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this spcciiication, in whichm Figure l is a side elevation of a part of a railway truck, showing the supplemental wheeled truck, a part of a housing' or subway which contains the main conductor, and the pivoted arm which carries at its lower end the contact-rollers. Fig. is an end view of the same, showing the housing or subway in transverse section. Fig, 3 is a side view of the supplemental wheeled truck and the plate B and adjunctive parts. Fig. 4 is a sectional View of the same on the line x x of Fig. 3.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in electric railways; and it consists in the construct-ions and combination of devices whichI shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

This invention is an improvement on my application, Serial No. M2595, filed March 5, 1890, and is designed particularly to provide a simple means for facilitating the rounding of curves and in a mechanism whereby the main-truck frame is permitted to a have a lateral motion to accommodate the side movement of the car.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the manner in which the same is carried out.

In the accompanying drawings, N represents a longitudinal beam extending along the center of the main truck and forming a part of its frame, and M represents the main axles mounted thereon in suitable boxes u. The main truck has bolted or otherwise secured to it upon opposite sides the downwardly-extending plates B, forming a frame, in the lower ends of which boxes A are mounted and adapted to receive the trunnions S. The truck which carries the plates B consists of two parallel beams U, having journals at their central portions and small wheels in front and rear thereof, while at the outer ends of said beams are secured the clearing irons E, which enter the slotin the housing and keep the same clear of obstructions The plates B are bolted or otherwise sccured to the timber N of the main-truck frame, and the supplemental frame has its wheels Zi beveled on their edges and adapted to run in the slot of the housing, the above construction being substantially that shown in my said former application and operating substantially in thema-nner and for the purposes therein stated.

A wooden or other frame l), built in the ground, forms .the foundation of the housing or subway and a trough to carry off water, and upon said frame at one side is a trackiron m, while at the other side is an angular plate or track-iron J, separated from the tracleiron m a sufficient distance to form a slot for the vertical arm F to move in, as in my former application, the said track-iron or plate J being secured to a second angular plate, which is in turn secured to one of the timbers P of the foundation or base.

In my said former application the arm F was pivoted to move only in planes in the direction of the travel of the car; but I have found that to produce the best results it is necessary to pivot this arm, so that it may also have a lateral movement to accommodate itself to the side vibrations of the car and its main truck, which are very pronounced in rounding short curves. I therefore make the arm, which is mounted on a support f, in two parts or sections, the upper one of which has pivotally hung from its lower end a casting or bracket X, whose lower end is pivotally secured to the upper portion of the lower section of the arm, the said casting or bracket being so pivoted that it may, with the upper end of the rod F, have a lateral movement about its pivots in planes at about right angles to the forward and rear movements of the arm. The lower end of the arm F enters the slot in the housing` or subway, and has ,y

secured to its side the elastic non-conducting blocks r, to the outer surfaces of which the supports H for the contact-rollers G are secured, as more fully sta-ted in my former application.

I represents the main conductor secured to brackets e in the housing and connected with any suitable source of electric generator or supply, andl is a wire or conducting-strip leading from the contact-supports G to the motor on the car in any well-known manner.

L is a buffer or cushion let into t-he frame B, while between the inner sides of the arms of the frame B are secured two spaced plates H, forming a guide for the lower end of the arm l?, and just above the boxes A and between them and the main-truck frame are 1o placed small anti-friction rollers r, which permit afrec lateral movement of the said maintruck frame.

T is a stay-rod secured to and bracing the vertical timber P of the foundation or base. 1-5 The upper end of the arm F has a pin or bolt a, which enters a slot inthe side of the barrelZ; mounted on the uprights D` on the main-truck andV provided with a sliding rod andsprring operated by a rod and lever on 2e the carto move the rodkt'rom-one position-to another 'to bring either of the contact-rollers G against the main conductor, as more fully stated in said' former application. The arrangement and construction of parts hereto- 2 5 forespecified are such that by mounting the main-truck frame so that it may move laterally, and'jointing the arm F, in the manner described, the side movement of the car, which would bring a solid arm against the 3o walls of the slot,lthereby injuring it, is entirel y overcome, as the main-truck frame may move laterally upon its rollers r to accommodate any side movement, while the supplemental. wheeled frame orA truck and lower section ofthe jointed arm F,

the contact-rollers, always maintain their relative position, and said arm isheldin a position wherel its contact-rollers may always bear squarely against the main conductor.

While the supplemental wheeled frame is prevented from side movement, it may have a vertical movement, which is controlled by the buffers or cushions L.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters l'. In electric railways, a main truck, in com- -bination witha supplemental wheeled frame suspended therefrom, and a roller-bearin g be- 5o tween the main and supplemental frames,

whereby the latter may have an independent lateral movement, substantially as herein de scribed;

2. In electric railways, the slotted housing or subway having a main conductor fixed within it, and a main-truck frame, in vcombination with a supplemental wheeled truck mounted upon the slotted housing, a rollerbearing between the main and supplemental which carriesl truck frames, whereby the former may have a lateral movement on the latter, an arm carried by said main frame and provided with contacts adapted to be alternately brought into engagement with the main conductor, and a conductor leading to the motor on the car, substantially as herein described.

In electric railways, the slotted housing or subway having a main conductor fixed therein, and a main-truck frame, in combina tion with a supplemental wheeled frame below the main-truck frame,the rollers r, interposed between the main and supplement-al truck-frames, whereby the former may have lateral movement, a vertical arm carried by the main-truck frameand having the contact-rollers adapted to alternately engagethe conductor, andv the spaced plates forming guides for the movements of the arm, substantially as herein described. i 4. In electric railways, the slotted housing `or subway having a main` conductor fixed therein, and the main-truck frame, incombi'- nation with a two-part vertical arm carried by the main-truck frame and having contact devices at its lower end, a supplemental wheeled frame, and a rollerfbearing between the main and supplemental frames, whereby the main-truck frame and upper end of the contact-arm may move laterally independent ofthe supplemental frame and lower portion of the arm, substantially as herein described.

5. In electric railways, the combination of the slotted housing or. subway, the main-truck frame having the arms B, the boxes A, mounted in said arms, a supplemental wheeled frame, a roller-bearin g between the boxesand main-truck frame, the two -part arm F,the interposed casting or bracket X, to Iwhich the two parts of said arm are pivotally connected, the guides H for the lower portion of thearni F, and the contact devices on the lower end ofthe arm adapted to engage a main conductor in the housing or subway, substantially as herein 'described G. In electric railways, the slotted housing.,r with its main conductor, a main-truck frame adapted to move laterally, a supplemental wheeled frame, and complementary contact devices, in combination with the arm F, formed in two parts, andthe casting or bracket X, interposed between and pivotally secured to the adjoining ends of the two parts of the arm, substantially as hereindescribed.

NICHOLAS SEIBER'R Witnesses:

O. E. SIMMONS, J. l'I. SEvERANcE.

IOO 

